-well, i'ma have to warn you that this post may be a long one, but hang in there. it might help you figure out how to play 'PAPA'.
-when i first learned the song, i absolutely just sot there at the piano in my local music building, b/c i didn't know what the hell i was doing at first, b/c i wasn't really that familiar with the key of Eb Minor, which has 6 flats. [i guess that's synonymous with Eb Dorian].
-slowly, but surely, i began to catch on to the song. i don't know how, but i began to get it, even though i had the notes wrong at first. but i did correct it later on, b/c sometimes i get to the point when i'm playing the notes, and then say to myself, that 'this don't sound right', and then i correct my mistake. the same thing happened i learned 'A Thousand Miles' about a month ago.
-but the only problem is that i there's a part [i don't know exactly what measure] where i'm still having problems with the notes. but guess what i found out? that there's room for improvisation in the song, b/c Van doesn't play it on Sessions@AOL like she doesn't on the album. it's a little different, and she plays it faster. so i did the same thing.
-it's only the first page of the song that i printed out from Musicnotes.com, since i don't have the songbook yet, b/c i think that's the more accrate version. i thought that i had the conclusion of the song down at first, [by ear] but decided that something didn't sound right. i ran the CD back and found out what my mistake was, so i corrected it, so now i have to redo it.
-so far that song's is the fastest and most difficult song i've encountered [besides 'Thousand Miles'] since i started playing the piano May of last year. i knew what i was facing, but i was willing to challenge myself. but i'm glad i did, b/c i caught on rather fast. it was hard at first, and i didn't know if i was ready, but i was determined to learn the song. now i've learned it, so i no longer envy Vanessa.
-so the bottom line is don't panic or get frustrated if you can't really play it exactly like Vanessa does; you can just add your own flavor to it, like she did for her Sessions performance, and i did, too, since i can't really figure out some of the exact notes.
-and one more thing before i go: go to Musicnotes.com and slow the speed down when you test-drive the song, so you'll know exactly how it's played; transpose it if you want to. that's how i learned how to play the song. the SCORCH program is a godsend, and i don't know what i would've done without it.
